Jeffrey L. WilsonTidal (for Android)Tidal may lack features found in competing streaming music services, but it stands out from the very crowded pack by delivering excellent audio, music videos, exclusive content, and original feature-length articles.

Tidal may lack features found in competing streaming music services, but it stands out from the very crowded pack by delivering excellent audio, music videos, exclusive content, and original feature-length articles.

Jay Z's 2015 purchase of little-known company Aspiro left many scratching their heads, but when the rapper and an all-star squad of singers and musicians unveiled the fruits of the buy, a music streaming service named Tidal, it started to make sense. Tidal is one of many subscription-based music services for Android (there's also an iPhone version), but it differs from Spotify and the PCMag Editors' Choice award-winning Slacker Radio in that it's aimed at music fans willing to pay a premium for exclusive content, quality editorial, and lossless, 16-bit CD-quality sound. A Tidal subscription gets you many cool benefits that you won't find elsewhere, but the service is missing a few features that I expect in a premium streaming music app.

High-End Sound, Exclusive ContentTidal, compatible with smartphones running Android 4.4.4 and higher, lacks a free, ad-supported option, so you'll either pay $9.99 per month for standard-quality 320 Kbps AAC+ music (Tidal Premium) or $19.99 per month for non-compressed 1411 Kbps FLAC audio (known as Tidal HiFi) that has a higher fidelity than your standard .MP3 or audio stream. Yes, Tidal's top tier is double the cost of Slacker Radio's corresponding Slacker Premium, so take that into consideration before whipping out the plastic. Fortunately, Tidal has a 30-day trial period, so that you can try before you buy. However, you're still required to submit your debit or credit card information for the trial.

For that premium cost, you get premium content. Tidal has very cool original feature-length articles that have embedded music so you can learn more about artists while listening to their tunes. Unfortunately, there's no dedicated area within the Android app where you can browse a list of these well-written articles. I discovered "George Martin: A Fifth Beatle's Farewell" because it was featured on the Tidal home screen.

Tidal also offers exclusive content from its musical Illuminati, like Jay Z's The Blueprint and Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, as well as exclusive video content. Tidal's video content consists of music videos, music video outtakes, sneak peeks, and exclusive backstage concert footage. Video content is available to both Tidal Premium and Tidal HiFi subscribers, so it's the lossless, CD-quality music streams that differentiate the two subscription tiers. Tidal subscribers also get first dibs on select concert tickets before the general public has an opportunity to purchase them.

Song Cry So, is it worth plunking down $19.95 per month for Tidal HiFi? If you're the type who's really into sound quality, yes. Spotify Premium's 320kbps should satisfy most mobile listeners, but those with sharp ears may want to give Tidal a chance. Here's why: Tidal's more than 25 million music streams can sound anywhere from marginally better to significantly better than rival companies' streams.

For example, Steely Dan's "Black Cow" sounded extremely clean, which made it easy for me to discern and appreciate the individual instruments at work; this was especially evident during cymbal crashes. On the other hand, I didn't notice any audio improvement in Kavinsky's "Nightcall." The stream quality was good, but I couldn't detect a noticeable audio boost over Slacker Radio's "Nightcall" stream.

It was D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel?)" that sold me on Tidal. I'd never before heard a streaming song sound so sensational. The song carried a fresh energy that was so addicting that I replayed the track several times. I must admit that some listeners may initially find the lossless sound a bit unusual when compared to a .MP3's compressed muddiness, but once you spend time with Tidal HiFi, it's hard to return to standard streams.

Please note that headphones play a key role in the listening process; cans with better sound reproduction are, unsurprisingly, conducive to a superior listening experience. And you must enable HiFi in the Settings section or the audio will stream at a lower quality. This is likely in place so that you willfully allow Tidal HiFi to devour your smartphone's data plan if a Wi-Fi signal isn't available. Like Slacker and Spotify, Tidal caches songs so that you can listen to them in areas where there aren't wireless signals.

I Just Wanna Love You Tidal's look and feel isn't radically different from that of other Android streaming music apps. I scrolled through the panel-driven What's New section to see the latest releases, including Kendrick Lamar's Untitled Unmastered. This section also houses themed playlists like "Jazzmatazz: When Jazz and Hip-Hop Collide" and "Music Makes The Mask: A Brief History of Superhero Music."

Just south of What's New are areas that highlight new albums, individual tracks, and the aforementioned video content. You can discover music by browsing the genre categories or using the search box. There's also Audio Search, a Shazam-like feature that analyzes music playing in your environment and displays song information. It's useful for those times when you just can't recall a bit of music info.

Tidal has dozens upon dozens of themed playlists that are categorized by moods, time of day, and events such as Coachella. It recalls Songza, a playlist-based music service that inspired many imitators. That's not at all a bad thing. Tidal's playlists may not be as quirky as Slacker Radio's "55 Songs You Think Suck" or "Yacht Music," but "Headbangers Ball: 1987-1995" will take metal heads back to the heyday of MTV rock.

The catalog is pretty stacked. Tidal has struck agreements with Sony, Universal, and Warner, as well as many indie labels. I've found popular artists like Arcade Fire, Michael Jackson, and Led Zeppelin, as well as indie faves like The Dirtbombs and Harlem. And yes, even the Spotify-hating Taylor Swift has her catalog available for streaming. You can, of course, favorite songs and create a radio station based on a particular artist.

Unfortunately, Tidal lacks lyrics, which may prove disappointing to people like me who occasionally read along to a song. In addition, Tidal doesn't have any of Slacker Radio's fancy features, either; there aren't The Weather Channel reports, live ESPN sports coverage, or lifestyle stations.

Can't Knock the Hustle Tidal's takes a lot of flak for its pretentious reveal video that highlights the recording artists' financial struggles with other streaming music services, but if you look beyond that you'll discover that it has several attractive features. Tidal's original articles, exclusive albums, video content, and early access to concert tickets add value to a service that lacks in some areas. Tidal doesn't dethrone Editors' Choice Slacker Radio, but it's a respectable streaming music service.

Tidal (for Android)

Bottom Line: Tidal may lack features found in competing streaming music services, but it stands out from the very crowded pack by delivering excellent audio, music videos, exclusive content, and original feature-length articles.

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About the Author

For more than a decade, Jeffrey L. Wilson has penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including 1UP, 2D-X, The Cask, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. He now brings his knowledge and skillset to PCMag as Senior Analyst.
When he isn't staring at a monitor (or two) and churning out web... See Full Bio

Tidal (for Android)

Tidal (for Android)

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